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The White Lie
Who killed Scott of the Antarctic?
The White Lie is an up-market historical crime thriller based on the legend of Captain Scott - the man who failed to reach the South Pole before his Norwegian rival Roald Amundsen, and then died with four brave comrades on the journey home. The men might have lived if Apsley Cherry-Garrard, sent out to meet them, had gone just ten miles further into the white hell of the final storm. But 'Cherry', peering South through thick spectacles, turned back. He lived a long life, tormented by depression and illness, and thoughts of what might have been.
This is the legend that has survived more than a century. Until now.
2020. Cherry-Gerard's great nephew - Falcon Cherry-Garrard - is a journalist obsessed with clearing Cherry's name. When the explorer's stone tomb at the family estate of Lamer in Hertfordshire is opened for restoration work, a wax pouch is found containing a slim diary. A note explains it was found in the tent, in Scott's frozen hand, and marked: 'For Cherry's eyes only'. He alone read the truth: Scott and his men did not die of the cold, or starvation, or illness - they were murdered.
There were three other expeditions in Antarctica as Scott raced to the Pole: a German party in the Weddell Sea equipped with caterpillar tractors, a Japanese 'dash' patrol on skies at the Bay of Whales, and the Norwegians on the Ross Ice Shelf.
Falcon is determined to reveal the truth and clear Cherry's name - but the more he digs into the past, the more dangerous the present becomes.
The White Lie is an up-market historical crime thriller based on the legend of Captain Scott - the man who failed to reach the South Pole before his Norwegian rival Roald Amundsen, and then died with four brave comrades on the journey home. The men might have lived if Apsley Cherry-Garrard, sent out to meet them, had gone just ten miles further into the white hell of the final storm. But 'Cherry', peering South through thick spectacles, turned back. He lived a long life, tormented by depression and illness, and thoughts of what might have been.
This is the legend that has survived more than a century. Until now.
2020. Cherry-Gerard's great nephew - Falcon Cherry-Garrard - is a journalist obsessed with clearing Cherry's name. When the explorer's stone tomb at the family estate of Lamer in Hertfordshire is opened for restoration work, a wax pouch is found containing a slim diary. A note explains it was found in the tent, in Scott's frozen hand, and marked: 'For Cherry's eyes only'. He alone read the truth: Scott and his men did not die of the cold, or starvation, or illness - they were murdered.
There were three other expeditions in Antarctica as Scott raced to the Pole: a German party in the Weddell Sea equipped with caterpillar tractors, a Japanese 'dash' patrol on skies at the Bay of Whales, and the Norwegians on the Ross Ice Shelf.
Falcon is determined to reveal the truth and clear Cherry's name - but the more he digs into the past, the more dangerous the present becomes.
434 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 5, 2023
13 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 13, 2023
1913 sees the deaths of Scott and his four companions who set out to reach the South Pole only to find that Roald Amundsen had gotten there first. Demoralised, defeated, & despite their efforts suffering from varying degrees of frostbite & malnutrition, the five men fail to return. Fellow explorer Cherry-Garrard hikes out to One Ton depot as agreed but sees no sign of them. Their bodies are found a year later just ten miles from the depot & Cherry-Garrard lives with feeling of guilt for the rest of this life.
1969 - WWII orphan Falcon Grey who grew up on Cherry-Garrard's estate is left a small bequest in the will which includes a red notebook found in Scott's tent. This diary tells a different story to the official version & it seems that Scott & his companions were sabotaged & their deaths were cold-blooded murder. There are many suspects including the groups of men who were not chosen to strike out for the pole. Grey soon comes to realise that someone has a lot to hide & they want it to remain hidden - forever.
I love books based on true events especially mountaineering or Arctic/Antarctic exploration, so this fictional mystery take seemed tailor-made for me. The sections on the Scott journey were indeed riveting & it was a pity that so much of the book was focussed on Grey's private life leading up to being bequeathed the diary. It was very slow & the pace didn't really pick up until about 70% of the way through, which was disappointing. I really didn't care about his relationship with Sofya. A missed opportunity for me.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
1969 - WWII orphan Falcon Grey who grew up on Cherry-Garrard's estate is left a small bequest in the will which includes a red notebook found in Scott's tent. This diary tells a different story to the official version & it seems that Scott & his companions were sabotaged & their deaths were cold-blooded murder. There are many suspects including the groups of men who were not chosen to strike out for the pole. Grey soon comes to realise that someone has a lot to hide & they want it to remain hidden - forever.
I love books based on true events especially mountaineering or Arctic/Antarctic exploration, so this fictional mystery take seemed tailor-made for me. The sections on the Scott journey were indeed riveting & it was a pity that so much of the book was focussed on Grey's private life leading up to being bequeathed the diary. It was very slow & the pace didn't really pick up until about 70% of the way through, which was disappointing. I really didn't care about his relationship with Sofya. A missed opportunity for me.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
October 23, 2025
I mean I can’t give it a 1 star as It feels a bit harsh seeing I didn’t read it all and it may have improved, however I just couldn’t be bothered to carry on reading it as I didn’t want to waste my time as it was just too boring a read for me.
December 8, 2023
The White Lie appealed to my interest in the stark landscape of Antarctica and I was really intrigued by the storyline which is set around the legend of Captain Scott and his companions' ill-fated Antarctic expedition which led to their deaths in 1912. This book considers an alternative conclusion in which the men didn't die naturally but were murdered.
Apsley Cherry-Garrard was to have met the men but turned back when he couldn't see them. In later years he finds himself tormented by the guilt. Falcon Grey is a young man who was taken in by Cherry after a rocket attack in WWII and it falls to him on Cherry's death to try and find out the truth of what happened, with some risk to himself as somebody clearly wants it to remain a mystery.
I enjoy books where fact is combined with fiction and The White Lie is a great example of this, taking a piece of history that is so well-known and adding a murderous slant to it. I must admit to being a little out of my depth at times when it became quite complex, but there was much I enjoyed about it, including the details of Falcon's childhood and his unstinting search for the truth, along with the secret diary of Captain Scott. This is a well-written and inventive work of historical crime fiction.
Apsley Cherry-Garrard was to have met the men but turned back when he couldn't see them. In later years he finds himself tormented by the guilt. Falcon Grey is a young man who was taken in by Cherry after a rocket attack in WWII and it falls to him on Cherry's death to try and find out the truth of what happened, with some risk to himself as somebody clearly wants it to remain a mystery.
I enjoy books where fact is combined with fiction and The White Lie is a great example of this, taking a piece of history that is so well-known and adding a murderous slant to it. I must admit to being a little out of my depth at times when it became quite complex, but there was much I enjoyed about it, including the details of Falcon's childhood and his unstinting search for the truth, along with the secret diary of Captain Scott. This is a well-written and inventive work of historical crime fiction.
October 2, 2025
I really badly want to say I loved this book, unfortunately it was simply too plodding in the first three quarters for its reading to feel anything but a slog.
Once you get on the other side of the hump, the denouement is much faster-paced and intriguing. One worth sticking with, if you can get there.
I feel this is a book meant for those with long afternoons free rather than 10 minutes available before bed for a read. It’s dense and at times very complex for the average reader, I feel, but hey, if I was able to finish it, you’ll be able to as well. Historical fiction is a genre difficult to get right, and I think this is an interesting telling of a little-known story.
Once you get on the other side of the hump, the denouement is much faster-paced and intriguing. One worth sticking with, if you can get there.
I feel this is a book meant for those with long afternoons free rather than 10 minutes available before bed for a read. It’s dense and at times very complex for the average reader, I feel, but hey, if I was able to finish it, you’ll be able to as well. Historical fiction is a genre difficult to get right, and I think this is an interesting telling of a little-known story.
October 1, 2023
The White Lie is that rare novel that manages to take an incident of reality and weave it into a fictional narrative until the reader actually forgets there is a fine line between truth and lies. Way outside my usual comfort zone with this but JG (Jim) Kelly has an enviable crime back catalogue which I've been enjoying for years so, with The Silent Child last year and now this new novel, I was very happy to trust him with historical genres. With The White Lie, we're given the story of Scott of the Antarctic, and timelines that swing mostly from 1913 to the late 1960s, when a private diary is inherited by Falcon Grey - the diary purports to suggest that Scott and his team did not perish on the ice from natural causes but that nefarious schemes were at play. Grey has been, in effect, challenged by the owner of the diary to prove this, and thus a whole host of joyously dislikeable characters are introduced as Grey begins the quest to track down survivors from that early expedition. Locations and periods are moved between swiftly as the story progresses and distractions are not recommended - the denouement did come from a slight tangent even though I was thoroughly immersed! I'll definitely be interested to see what the author decides to write next. With thanks to Hodder Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.
October 8, 2023
I really liked the idea of this book, linking Scott’s last polar expedition and incidents in WWII together; putting well known events and characters into a novel and making it believable is a tricky thing to get right. The link between the events is nicely written by the author and brought the reality of the conditions for the explorers to the reader really well. Also Scott’s expedition is very well documented in real life, making it even more important that the author had done a thorough job with research into the era, which I thought he obviously had done.
Falcon Grey, an orphan who was brought up by one of the explorers, is a complex and interesting character, being moulded by the death of his parents during WWII, and the survivors guilt he felt rang very true. I couldn’t empathise with Sofiya but I’m not sure we were meant to, despite her own tortured background. I didn’t expect the ending, and not quite sure if that bit worked, but it’s definitely a good read, especially for anyone with a particular interest in Captain Scott and his ill fated death. 3 1/2 ⭐️
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Falcon Grey, an orphan who was brought up by one of the explorers, is a complex and interesting character, being moulded by the death of his parents during WWII, and the survivors guilt he felt rang very true. I couldn’t empathise with Sofiya but I’m not sure we were meant to, despite her own tortured background. I didn’t expect the ending, and not quite sure if that bit worked, but it’s definitely a good read, especially for anyone with a particular interest in Captain Scott and his ill fated death. 3 1/2 ⭐️
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
October 8, 2023
This is such an interesting book! I thoroughly enjoyed the different POV/timelines and especially where the fiction/reality aspects.
The author really portrays the eeriness that Scott and his team faced, without the added aspect of the ‘diary’ which brought that too another level.
I could visualise Scott writing his thoughts in that tent and how they must have felt, I preferred these parts to the present segments.
A must for historical fiction fans, I already now which family member I will pasting my gifted copy too.
The author really portrays the eeriness that Scott and his team faced, without the added aspect of the ‘diary’ which brought that too another level.
I could visualise Scott writing his thoughts in that tent and how they must have felt, I preferred these parts to the present segments.
A must for historical fiction fans, I already now which family member I will pasting my gifted copy too.
October 26, 2023
This is a rather long and windy book which really worked for me. I love explorer lit and this one delivers in spades, but a lot else besides which means it has more layers than historical fiction usually does. This might not work for some, but did for me!
November 9, 2023
JG Kelly is a master of landscape and place. I defy anyone not to feel the ice forming on their eyelashes in this unputdownable reimagining of Scott's ill-fated final Antarctic attempt. History has never felt so close.
May 4, 2024
I loved this, in part because it features Scott's expedition to the South Pole and the Apollo missions AND that it's partly set in Cambridge too. It kept me guessing for a very long time!
February 20, 2025
It was a bit of a slog but worth it
December 31, 2023
Delighted to be on the blog tour for this exciting book released on 05 October.
It’s 1913 and after reaching the South Pole only to find they had been beaten there by Roald Amundsen, Captain Scott and his crew take the 850 mile walk back to their ship.
Fellow explorer Apsley Cherry-Garrad goes out to look for Scott but turns back unable to locate them. Months later the tent along with the bodies of Scott and his men is found only ten miles from Cherry’s base. Cherry lives the remainder of his life wracked with guilt.
1969 Falcon Grey who as a boy was orphaned and brought up at Cherry’s home receives a bequest in his will. A small red notebook found in tent written by Scott as his private diary is left to Falcon along with a request to investigate Scott’s death.
This request takes Falcon on a dangerous adventure south to find out what secrets the ice holds. His investigations also open old, never healed wounds taking him back to childhood and the death of his family.
This is a story full of adventure, espionage and intrigue. Falcon’s part of the story sits in the middle of the Cold War era, and is a stark reminder of the political tensions facing the world at that time.
I can’t begin to appreciate the research needed to write this book, it’s incredible. I knew of the great explorers Scott and Amundsen, and this book has been a huge learning experience, I was forever googling names, places and political info from the time. It’s a complex read and definitely a book that should be savoured and not rushed.
Thanks to Emily Goulding and Hodder Books for this advance copy
It’s 1913 and after reaching the South Pole only to find they had been beaten there by Roald Amundsen, Captain Scott and his crew take the 850 mile walk back to their ship.
Fellow explorer Apsley Cherry-Garrad goes out to look for Scott but turns back unable to locate them. Months later the tent along with the bodies of Scott and his men is found only ten miles from Cherry’s base. Cherry lives the remainder of his life wracked with guilt.
1969 Falcon Grey who as a boy was orphaned and brought up at Cherry’s home receives a bequest in his will. A small red notebook found in tent written by Scott as his private diary is left to Falcon along with a request to investigate Scott’s death.
This request takes Falcon on a dangerous adventure south to find out what secrets the ice holds. His investigations also open old, never healed wounds taking him back to childhood and the death of his family.
This is a story full of adventure, espionage and intrigue. Falcon’s part of the story sits in the middle of the Cold War era, and is a stark reminder of the political tensions facing the world at that time.
I can’t begin to appreciate the research needed to write this book, it’s incredible. I knew of the great explorers Scott and Amundsen, and this book has been a huge learning experience, I was forever googling names, places and political info from the time. It’s a complex read and definitely a book that should be savoured and not rushed.
Thanks to Emily Goulding and Hodder Books for this advance copy
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews